Almost Famous: Three Actors Discuss Landing Their Breakout Roles

There is always that moment in every actor’s career when he or she realizes nothing is ever going to be the same. For some, it might be a breakout performance in a small Indie film, for others it could be a part in a buzzy Broadway play or a leading role in a highly anticipated new television series. Here, we talk to three of those rising stars—Giles Matthey,Allison Tolman, and Sarah Greene—who are on their way to becoming the next best thing in Hollywood.

In three short years, Giles Matthey has dexterously glided between roles as a pansexual fairy on HBO’s True Blood, tech icon Jonathan Ive in Jobs, and, most recently, as a ruthless pimp in the Tribeca Film Festival standout Boulevard. With pretty eyes and an expressive, angular face, the British actor, who resembles a featherweight Orlando Bloom, is keen to evade categorization. Matthey spoke with us about his lightening-quick ascent and his upcoming role on the re-launch of Fox’s 24.

Your career has taken off so swiftly.I’m very fortunate. You have to be right place, right time. My agency and my manager had faith in me when I was still in [acting] school. I had sent them a videotape of me doing a monologue for, like, a minute.

What monologue did you use?I didn’t want to do a play because it’s so “To be, or not to be?” So I found something on a website—it’s a letter written by a fourteen-year-old girl to her father saying sorry that when he was ill she couldn’t be there for him. She found it hard. And that resonated with me, there were lots of parallels. So I performed the letter.

Bold choice.You’ve got to do something interesting because these people see so much of the same stuff. Headshots go straight in the bin. So you’ve got to pop. Thank God I did.

What sparked your interest in acting?I was probably about fourteen years old and my aunt took me to a play with this actor called Charles Dance. He moved me so much. I was completely brought into the story. I thought, that’s what I want to do—it’s so cheesy—but I want to move people, to tell stories so well that people forget they’re watching something. Maybe it’s a masochistic side of me that I want to control people like that.

How did you land your breakout role in True Blood?That was the weirdest experience. I was in L.A. for the Golden Globes, getting on a plane the next day, and my agent said, “You have to go to this audition.” My bags were packed, and since I was ready to go, I brought them into the audition. I was wearing about six layers of clothes because I didn’t want to have excess luggage and I was sweating profusely. I thought, I wasn’t that good, I’ll go to the airport now. Then my agent called and said, “You’ve got to get out of the security line. You got the role and you’re in wardrobe tomorrow.”

After playing a good-hearted fairy in True Blood, your role in Boulevard couldn’t have been a bigger departure.I play this evil bastard—a maniacal southern ghetto pimp, so I got to really stretch my legs creatively in it. It was so much fun because there’s the accent, there’s the lifestyle, there’s how he moves. There’s so much to play with. I studied snakes. I wanted him to move like a snake. I wanted him to have that venom as well. [Director] Dito Montiel said, “Go as big, as flamboyant as you can,” which is really fun. It can be very brilliant or it can be the worst acting you’ve ever seen.

What about your part in the highly anticipated new season of 24?We’re in the midst of filming now in London. It’s really weird because I’ve never done anything in London. I started in New York then I moved to L.A., so to come back to England playing an American on the most American TV show there is—it’s kind of crazy. But it’s fun to be on such a high paced show. The stakes are through the roof.

That must be exhausting!It’s high energy. My character’s name is Jordan Reed. He’s head of communication and tech for the CIA West London branch and calls the shots. I’m sitting down a lot, staring at a computer screen a lot.

After 24, what direction do you want to go in?I really want to do high-quality TV. If you’ve got the luxury of doing that, that’s wicked. I also have a special love for indie film, where you can really open up. It’s less formulaic in my opinion. TV can be very structured, for good reason. It’s like twelve parts of a movie; they all have to fit perfectly. I would love to do a really high-quality indie film next, but beggars can’t be choosers. I’m not Brad Pitt!

Less than a year ago, Allison Tolman was working as a receptionist making $11 an hour. Everything changed when an audition tape landed her a lead role in the new TV series, Fargo, based on the Coen brothers cult classic. We caught up with the actress a few weeks after the show premiered and asked her how’s she holding up.

So how has it been since the show premiered?It’s been good; it’s been weird, but only weird on the Internet. I haven’t been recognized out in public or anything. The strangeness of celebrity has been relegated to Twitter, which is kind of manageable.

How so?My Twitter followers have quadrupled. It’s pretty fun. I’m sort of waiting to be recognized, so every time I make eye contact with a stranger, I think this is it! This is when it’s going to happen! And then it doesn’t.

Overall the reviews have been very positive about the show.I’m so thrilled about it, even with my friends and family. I forget that they didn’t know I was making something good, and that they would watch whatever I did. Then it premiered and they were like, “Oh wow, I would watch this even if you weren’t in it.”

Where were you before landing this role?I worked in IT for about three years for a tiny firm with ten other people. I had just recently quit and was actually out of work when I auditioned for Fargo. I was doing a temp job in the morning as a receptionist making $11 an hour. And I popped by my agency one day and put myself on tape for Fargo.

So you didn’t even audition in person?No, they had not seen me in person. It’s actually unusual to get that far from a self-tape. They only saw me once before they booked me.

You’re the only person who quits a job, with nothing else lined up, and gets a role on a pretty huge show.It’s insane and it’s so funny, too, because I quit that job and was thinking, I just want to find something in a more creative field and maybe I can get a job as a receptionist at an advertising firm or something like that. I had no idea that the universe had this in store. I just hit the jackpot.

What has been the most challenging part of filming a TV series?Just being away from home and on location for so long, it was really sort of disorienting. Especially for me, being the first time out, my life was unrecognizable from where I was six months before. There was not a single thing that was like anything that I had been doing before that.

I’m sure there were some pretty great moments in there as well.I think they never stopped. I tried to always hold on to how amazing and hilarious my life had become in this short amount of time and that it wasn’t unusual to sit down and have a conversation with Billy Bob Thornton.

So what comes next?I don’t really know, as far as the show goes, we don’t know what the plan is, if there’s another chapter in the anthology, or which characters are going to be coming back. For that reason, I’m spending some more time in Los Angeles—going to auditions, generating a little bit of interest.

What’s the weirdest thing someone has said to you on Twitter?I got a Tweet yesterday that said, “I’m loving Molly, any chance we’ll get to see Molly and Lester kissing?” And I was like, “Are you paying any attention to the show?”

This young Irish actress first turned heads playing the role of fiery Helen McCormick in London’s East End revival of The Cripple of Inishmaan. Now, the Martin McDonagh play is currently enjoying a run on Broadway and as of yesterday, Greene was nominated for a Tony award for her supporting performance. Here, the actress tells us why she wants to make New York her home and what it’s like sharing the stage with Daniel Radcliffe.

Have we caught you right before rehearsal?No, I’m actually with my parents on the High Line. I love it here, although it is quite windy today.

Let’s talk about your Tony-nominated performance as Helen McCormick.I’ve always sought after this part, but the first time I tried out for it I was a bit too young. Then, a couple of years later I was in Dublin and auditioned and I had a callback in London. There, the director [Michael Grandage] said that from the minute I opened my mouth, I was her.

The play first opened in London’s East End. When did you know it was coming to Broadway?There was talk of going to Broadway straight after the play finished in London, but I was glad it didn’t because it was the perfect amount of time to get away from it a bit. It’s hard to keep something fresh and spontaneous if you are doing it for over six months. Then they called us over Christmas to let us know the play was moving to Broadway and it was the best present ever.

How was it working with Daniel Radcliffe? Were you starstruck when you first met?Well you know, I never saw the movies! Obviously I knew who he was, but in the end he’s really just a hard worker. He arrives the first day with all his lines learned. You almost forget he’s a movie star, until you wrap up and walk out and have all these people waiting for him outside. It’s great for the show. They might just come to see Dan, but they leave loving the theater.

What is the difference performing the play in two cities?The audience is very different. The Irish and British mask our discomfort with laughter. I think Americans laugh just as much, but in the darker moments of the play, you’ll get a lot of “Mmm,” “Oohs,” and “Ahhs.” One man even said, “Oh for heaven’s sake!” We get a real kick out of that.

How do you like New York so far?Well I’ve been here about three and a half weeks. I love this city; I love living here. I’m going to go to the Met Ball and everything!

The Met Gala is pretty exciting.It’s every girl’s dream. When I was invited, I was like “Are you joking me? Oh. My. God.” I keep laughing in shock about it.

What are you working on next?We finish the play on the 20th of July. I have a film out called Nobel. Film is something I would love to explore more, even though I love being on the stage. I’m also going to try and move here. I really love this city.